Message Sunday 20 January 2013 AM
Have you completed your mini-survey?
The bible is amazing!
Most published book on earth by miles.
It is supernatural in its ability to change you.
For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 AMP)
When you go to sleep – your body goes into maintenance mode.
Your brain is very active when you are asleep. Your body is active in healing, restoring and growing during the sleep period.
What about your spirit, the real you, your heart, when does that restore heal and rejuvenate?
Look at what the word of God promises for your spirit man……
Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You. (Psalm 119:11 AMP)
Psa 119:105 Nun. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you [the teachings I have discussed with you].
If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. (John 15:3, 7 AMP)
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; (Psalms 19:7 ESV)
Lets look at a prophetic story in the Old Testament.
Ezekiel
Eze 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.
Eze 37:2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.
Eze 37:3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.”
Eze 37:4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
Eze 37:5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.
Dry bones – way past dead. – can they live?
But Israel were still a people alive and going about their daily routines.
But they were spiritually dead, why?
They had stopped their relationship with God They were worshipping idols – there were other things more important than God in their lives.
God asks – “Can these live?”
Ezekiel answers wisely…. ” You know Oh Lord”
Look what the word of The Lord does to these bones.
Eze 37:6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.”
Eze 37:7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
Eze 37:8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them.
Eze 37:9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”
Eze 37:10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
We will come alive when the word of God comes to us.
How dry are your bones?
How was your time spent in prayer this week? – Did you hear God speak to your heart about something?
Have you spent time this week reading Gods word?- is there an application of His word that you can make after reading it?
Have you been able to share your faith and testimony with people this week? – if you abide in me and my words abide in you you shall bear much fruit.
During this time of prayer and fasting in this church from 7-27 January we have had prayer times at church every week day morning and every night.
Apart from paid staff the attendance has been between one and three.
Maybe there’s a lot of dry bones in this church.
Thanks to all those who pray and seek God at home and thanks to those who are fasting with us. But corporate prayer is vital.
One can put a thousand to flight and two can put ten thousand to flight.
When you pray on your own – you could be distracted by worries, concerns, negative thoughts. When you pray with others you are supported and you learn how to pray. We will teach you.
I love you church but I am afraid that you have become disheartened.
Some of the most amazing people in this church are solo mums. Some of our solo mums arrive at 6am set their kids up in the play room and come in to the prayer room to seek God. Another woman in our church who has been through a deep tragedy recently came to cry out to God for others in this church.
God’s people have a capacity to change the world but only when they are vitally connected to Him.
Can these bones live? – I believe they can.
I PROPHESY OVER THIS CHURCH — BREATH OF GOD COME FROM HEAVEN AND BLOW UPON THESE PEOPLE THAT THEY MAY ARISE AND STAND UP N THEIR FEET A MIGHTY ARMY.
Will you let the word of God heal you restore you and change you?
I believe that the bible is the word of God and it is inerrant, reliable and divinely inspired.
Here’s why…
Why not access the 8 messages on our podcast site that explain the authenticity and reliability of the bible.
- Evidence –
literary evidence
Prophetic evidence
Archaeological evidence
Go to : http://pvc.podomatic.com/player/web/2010-04-09T06_14_02-07_00
2. If any part of the bible can be questioned, then how can you put your faith in any other part? How can your salvation, the most important issue in your life, rest upon a fallible text or one attributed to man or suspicious in its veracity?
Do not let popular secular myths and pseudo scientific statements shape how you believe about the word of God.
(It’s full of inconsistencies, or its changed over the centuries because of translation and copying errors.) thousands of scientists who believe in the inspiration of the bible are listed here http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/bios/
Here is a study that was done in Australia and America that looked at a list of 150 things that Christians can do to grow spiritually – and then measured it against 22 sins – to see which of the 150 were the most powerful to overcome sin. They came up with a very interesting conclusion – reading the word of God 4 or more times a week was most powerful.
In our Urban Connect Groups we teach members to read the word of God and come back to the group ready to share what God has spoken to them in that reading and how they will apply that to their lives.
Here’s the best way to read the word of God. We use the YOUVERSION Life Journal Reading plan that helps you read through the bible in a year Old Testament once and New Testament twice.
Here’s how to locate that. Go to PVCOC website. Or use the handout you received today.
craigmanderson 